Pope Leo XIV has said that he is following the humanitarian crisis in Gaza with “great concern” while also renewing his “heartfelt appeal for a ceasefire”.
Speaking on Sunday in St. Peter’s Square after giving his Angelus address, the Pope described how the civilian population in Gaza is being “crushed by hunger and continues to be exposed to violence and death”.
His comments come shortly after the Israeli military began a system of pausing military operations for limited periods – 10 hours a day – in three populated areas of the Gaza Strip in order to facilitate humanitarian assistance. On Friday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that the starvation crisis is deepening across Gaza.
Pope Leo in his address also renewed his “heartfelt appeal for a ceasefire” and called for the release of hostages and full respect of humanitarian laws.
“Every human person has an intrinsic dignity conferred on him or her by God himself: I urge the parties in all conflicts to recognise it and to stop any action contrary to it,” said Pope Leo.
“I urge you to negotiate a future of peace for all peoples and to reject anything that could jeopardise it."
He added: "I entrust to Mary, Queen of Peace, the innocent victims of conflicts and the rulers who have the power to put an end to them."
The World Food Program said in a statement that at least a third of Gaza’s population of nearly 2 million Palestinians have not eaten for days and that nearly half a million were enduring “famine-like” conditions.
The UN press service has said that out of 15 attempts to coordinate humanitarian movements inside Gaza on Thursday, four were denied entry, three were impeded, one was postponed and two others had to be cancelled by the organisers, with only five missions being facilitated successfully.
Israel says it is prepared to end the war if the Hamas regieme surrenders, disarms and goes into exile – actions that the Islamist organisation refuses to agree to. The Palestinian Authority (PA) says it wants to regain its control over the province, having lost control to Hamas in 2007.
The editorial manager for the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication, Andrea Tornielli, issued an editorial last week stating that the war in Gaza highlights how indispensable a solution to the Palestinian question has become.
“This is a solution that the Holy See has been persistently calling for over many decades, and which cannot happen without the active contribution of the international community, as well as the countries directly involved,” he said.
Noting that President Emmanuel Macron recently announced that France would recognise the State of Palestine, Tornielli recalled how the Holy See signed a basic agreement with the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) 25 years ago, while 10 years ago it signed a Comprehensive Agreement with the State of Palestine.
“This decision and recognition are consistent with the concern expressed by popes since 1948 about the condition of the Holy Places and the fate of the Palestinian people,” he said.
Addressing the Vatican's perspective on the Hamas attack that led to the war and on the scale of Israel's retaliation, Tornielli said: “Immediately following the inhuman terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023, Pope Francis condemned the massacre and repeatedly called for the release of all hostages.
"At the same time, while recognising Israel’s right to defend itself, the Holy See repeatedly – and in vain – called for restraint in targeting the entire Palestinian population in Gaza, and also denounced the attacks by settlers against Palestinians living in the West Bank, a part of the State of Palestine.
"Unfortunately, this did not happen: in Gaza and beyond, there are attacks that cannot be justified and represent a slaughter that weighs on the conscience of all."
Tornielli added that the international community cannot continue to stand by “while this massacre unfolds".
Referring to recent international meetings on the crisis in Gaza, the Vatican official said he hoped they would lead to recognition of the urgency for a collective response to the suffering of the Palestinian people.
He also expressed hope that the participants in the meetings “will vigorously pursue a solution that finally guarantees [the Palestinian people] a state with secure, respected and recognised borders”.
Photo: Pope Leo XIV addresses the crowd from the window of the Apostolic Palace overlooking St. Peter's square during his Angelus prayer, Vatican, 27 July 2025. (Photo by ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images.)
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